Learning about the wonderful world of whisk(e)y and sharing the journey.

Port Ellen for the rest of us

I love those gift packs where you get a few (usually three) 20 cl bottles of whisky in a nice box. The cost is usually not much more per cl than you would pay for a full size bottle, but you get to try out multiple expressions. They’re especially great for a new whisky enthusiast. I was browsing through The Whisky Exchange (TWE) web site Special Offers a few weeks ago, and a Diageo gift pack stood out at me because it included five 20 cl bottles instead of the usual three.

I noticed that it was an “Islay” gift pack (Islay whiskies being my new obsession), so I clicked on it. They called it the “Islay Collection 2007”, and I couldn’t believe what I saw: Caol Ila 12, Caol Ila 18, Lagavulin 16, Lagavulin 12 CS, and…wait for it…Port Ellen 28 year ‘7th Annual Release’! The price was marked down from 97 GBP ($146) to 70 GBP ($105) [Actually, that’s including VAT. Outside of the UK it’s 61 GBP ($90)]. They now also have the 2006 version of this same gift pack, which includes, you guessed it, the 6th Port Ellen release.

2006 Classic Islay Collection

Are you kidding me!? One of the Port Ellen Annual Release original distillery bottlings that I’ve been reading great things about, but was scared off by the $400+/bottle price? I had to get my hands on this gift pack. I couldn’t believe that they would stay in stock very long. On the contrary, six weeks later they now have both the 2006 and 2007 versions of the gift pack available. How is this staying on the shelves? Let’s consider the price and value:

Spending over $100 on a liter of whisky is still a considerable purchase. However, let’s take a moment to rationalize this for ourselves. What would 20 cl of these five scotches go for if you calculated it based on the full bottle price? I’m going to go with current TWE prices for reference:

Caol Ila 12: 70cl = 25 GBP, so 20cl = 7 GBP ($10.50)

Caol Ila 18: 70cl = 45 GBP, so 20cl = 13 GBP ($19.50)

Lagavulin 16: 70cl = 40 GBP, so 20cl = 11.5 GBP ($17.50) [This would be much more in the USA]

Lagavulin 12: 70cl = 49 GBP, so 20cl = 14 GBP ($21) [This is the 2008 price; might be more if you can find 2006/2007]

Port Ellen 6th: 70cl = 299 GBP, so 20cl = 85 GBP ($128)

“Fair Price” Total: 130 GBP ($205)

Another way to look at it is that you’re getting nearly 30% of a bottle of Port Ellen at a discount price, and they’re throwing in the other 800 ml of Islay goodness for free. Yet another view is that a fair price for the four non-Port Ellen bottles is 45.50 GBP, so this is a chance to get 20cl of the elusive Port Ellen for a mere 24.50 GBP ($36). A final consideration is the flat monetary outlay that we’re talking about here in order to taste an OB (original distillery bottling) Port Ellen: Approximately $100 to $135 depending on tax/shipping vs. $400+. This is a significant lowering of the barrier to entry.

So, if you’re in the UK, or someplace that allows mail order of this gift pack from TWE, what are you waiting for? You might also still be able to find this in some specialty shops in primary whisky market areas in the United States. This is your chance to be a part of a rapidly disappearing piece of history; a chance for us middle/working-class scotch lovers to exchange tasting notes of a rare, expensive malt with the rich and famous. You’re also armed with convincing numbers to explain to your significant other why it would be like throwing away money NOT to buy this set. Isn’t it great to turn the tables around now and then?

Update: I forgot to mention another tip if you’re having this shipped to the United States – They charge 32 GBP shipping for this gift pack, vs 26 GBP for a single bottle. However, you can add up to five 50ml miniatures to your order and the shipping cost will stay the same. So go ahead and try out some new malts while you’re ordering the Islay gift pack, expanding your horizons and defraying the shipping costs.

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11 Responses

It looks like the Classic Islay Collection pack is also available on eBay for $170-$220. I have no idea what the legal ramifications are of buying/selling whisky there. Any feedback on eBay as a source for whisky purchases?

[…] Lagavulin 16, and Port Ellen 7th), and you can get it for around $100 through The Whisky Exchange [Link to my post on this gift pack]. Suddenly, a Port Ellen purchase became much easier to justify. So, here I am with a dram of […]

[…] 2007 OB versions of Caol Ila 12 and 18 year expressions. These are 200ml bottles that came in my Islay Collection gift pack. Both are bottled at 43% ABV. Locally (Arizona), the full size bottle of Caol Ila 12 can be […]

[…] you’re still with me, here’s some math for you, and here I should give some major credit to Scotch Hobbyist who did similar calculations about a month ago. This Port Ellen Quarter Bottle (not to be […]

[…] Lagavulin 16 I’m writing about tonight is from another 20 cl bottle. This one is from the Classic Islay Collection 2007 gift pack, although the code on the bottle, which starts with “L6″, appears to […]

Hi Alex,
Thanks for the comment. I’m not sure if there are different 20mm PE bottlings, but as you can see from my picture above, the 6th release that came with this collection was actually bottled at 54.3%.

It’s true that this is slightly different than the full size bottle release, but that’s only because these were bottled from a different bottling line separately from the main release.

Ah, £70! Those were the days (which I don’t remember because I didn’t start buying whisky seriously until 2013). I bought the Port Ellen 6th Release 20cl on its own last month for £225 (full bottles are going for over £1,000). At £70 for the set I’d consider them potential drinkers. For £225 it’s an investment, so I will never drink my Port Ellen (have you drunk yours Jeff?). It’s a shame but certain whiskies and vintages have priced themselves out of the sipping department in my opinion. I recently saw a bottle of old Dallas Dhu in a shop that, by chance, I traced to an auction a few years earlier. Clearly some bottles switch to the collectors’ market with little likelihood of being drunk thereafter. They turn into Picassos or lumps of gold. A shame but I could have bought a new TV for the price of my Port Ellen. Damn! Why didn’t I?!